13 bizarre but popular plastic surgery procedures

Think most people who go under the knife for cosmetic procedures only ask for bigger breasts and smaller stomachs? Think again. Plastic surgery is more than just breast implants, liposuction, and facelifts, says Dr. Tony Youn, board-certified plastic surgeon and author of the plastic surgery memoir "In Stitches."

Keep clicking as Dr. Youn reveals fifteen unusual but popular plastic surgeries you may not know about...

Credit: istockphoto

Six pack creation

In the past, liposuction was only used to flatten areas that stuck out. Now, a handful of plastic surgeons are performing Hi Def Liposculpture, an advanced liposuction technique that creates the six-pack many men desire. To achieve this "washboard" look, the procedure combines liposuction and shrinking of the skin. The procedure is much more involved than traditional liposuction, but the results are obvious.

Credit: Dr. John Millard

Grin lift

The corners of our mouths droop as we age. But for an unlucky minority, this permanent scowl can make them look perpetually grumpy. The grin lift is the most effective way to turn this frown upside down.

For the procedure, a surgeon removes small skin triangles from above each corner of the mouth to cause it to lift. What's the upside? People no longer ask you why you are upset. But there is a downside - this creates permanent scars that can make you look like The Joker.

Credit: Dr. Anthony Youn

Upper lip lift

The skin between the nose and upper lip lengthens as we age, causing us to look like Spiderman's Aunt May. Some doctors have treated this effect by injecting the upper lip with fillers, causing it to look like it's been stung by a bee. The upper lip lift is a small surgery where the plastic surgeon removes excess skin by creating a small scar hidden at the base of the nose. The scar is barely noticeable in older patients.

Credit: Dr. Richard Ellenbogen

Bra line back lift

Many women complain to their plastic surgeons about the dreaded "bread back" - unsightly rolls of back fat which make their bras fit uncomfortably. In the past, our only real surgical option was to liposuction this fat away, sometimes leaving the patient with loose skin.

The Bra Line Back Lift is a novel procedure where the back rolls are surgically removed, leaving behind a flatter back with a scar that's hidden in the bra line. The scar is permanent, but results usually are as well.

Credit: Dr. Remus Repta

Belly button surgery

Is it possible to turn an outie into an innie? Sure is - most outie belly buttons are actually small umbilical hernias. Surgeons can repair this hernia with an umbilicoplasty - a small incision on the upper surface of the belly button that turns it into a more aesthetically pleasing innie. The procedure creates a permanent scar that is usually well-hidden.

Credit: Dr. Daniel Yamini

Chubby cheek surgery

Chubby cheeks are cute in kids, but can make some adults look overweight or jowly. This can be improved by a buccal lipectomy. In this minor surgery, the plastic surgeon makes a small incision inside the cheek and removes a gumball-sized chunk of fat. This causes the cheek hollows to contour inward, improving the jowly or "chipmunk cheek" look.

Credit: Dr. Anthony Youn

Jawline reduction

Wide jawlines can occur with overgrowth of the masseter muscle, a muscle used for chewing. In the past, plastic surgeons would shave down this muscle in a bloody surgery. Today, plastic surgeons decrease the size of this muscle by injecting Botox into it. Botox weakens the muscle, causing it to atrophy. Within a month most patients notice their jawline is thinner. But the effects last about 6 months before the injections need to be repeated.

Credit: Dr. Anthony Youn

Gummy smile repair

A smile is considered "gummy" when it reveals an excessive amount of gums. Many dentists treat this condition by altering the gumline, but plastic surgeons have devised techniques to improve a gummy smile by cutting some of the muscles that elevate the lip and inserting a spacer implant to prevent these muscles from reconnecting. The procedure takes less than an hour with minimal downtime.

Credit: Dr. Richard Ellenbogen

Jawline reduction/advancement

When the jaw is either too big or too small, oral surgeons treat this by breaking the jaw in two places and setting it backward or forward into its new position. Dr. Youn himself underwent this surgery between his high school and college years, "And I can tell you, it really hurt! I wouldn't wish this surgery on my worst enemy." he said. "But it did make a huge difference in how I looked, how I ate, and my self-image. Gone was my old moniker, Jawzilla!"

Credit: Dr. Anthony Youn

Eyelash transplants

We've all heard of hair transplants to the top of the head, but hair can also be transplanted to the eyelids. Many people find their eyelashes thinning and falling out as they age. Latisse

Credit: Dr. Alan Bauman

Dimple creation

We can't all be born with dimples like Jennifer Garner and Mario Lopez, but some plastic surgeons are creating them. Dimple creation involves a tiny incision on the inside of the mouth and placement of a small suture between the buccinator muscle and the skin of the cheek. This small, man-made indentation is typically indistinguishable from a real dimple and only appears when smiling.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Nipple and areola reduction

Some women - and even men - develop excessively long nipples or wide areolas. This can be due to heredity, pregnancy, or plain bad luck. Doctors reduce the nipples by literally cutting off the tip (ouch!) or by my preferred technique- removing some skin at the base of the nipple.

Excessively wide areolas are reduced by removing a donut-shaped ring of skin from the periphery of the areola and suturing it smaller. This leaves a permanent circular scar around the areola, however.

Credit: istockphoto

Plastic surgery for private parts

There is a growing - and somewhat disturbing - trend towards plastic surgery of the genitals. These procedures remove excess labial skin, tighten the vaginal canal, and even enlarge the G spot to enhance the sexual experience. Dr. David Matlock, a Beverly Hills gynecologist, has practically cornered this market with such registered terms as the G Shot